Everybody deals with anxieties and stresses in the business world, however sometimes our anxieties can get the best of us. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their daily stresses and anxieties at their job and/or in the business world.
Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.
When facing a current or upcoming task at your job or business that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, divide the task into a series of smaller steps and then complete each of the smaller tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.
Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you take a break from your business task, open up your small notebook and read those statements.
In dealing with your anxieties at your job, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that can not be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.
As a Layman, I know that our anxieties and stresses can be difficult to manage at our place of work and in the business world. The more control you have over your stresses and anxieties, the better off you will be in the long run at your job and other business endeavors.
Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear” an easy to read book that presents a overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com
If you decide to build your own storage sheds, choose a design that complements your home. If the design of your home is formal, choose a shed design to suit it. If you are living in a country home, choose a shed design that matches it. If your home has arches, your shed can use arches too.
You can build your own storage sheds to blend into the surrounding landscape. Plant beds can be laid around the shed. Trellises, on which the vines can climb, can be installed on the shed. A storage shed is not only built for its utility and it can add to the appearance of the property where it is built.
Storage Sheds Cheapest Price
If you only focus on building storage shed for the cheapest price, you may lose out on quality. Buyers who have decided to buy the cheapest sheds often reject much better options that only cost a little more. An outdoor shed with the best cedar and vinyl sidings may cost you only a few hundred dollars more than one made from lower quality materials.
Siding Materials
Wood looks attractive, but it tends to rot when it is exposed to water. Some types of wood contain natural resins, which make them resistant to rot. Cedar wood is very popular for making sidings, though it also requires maintenance. Coating it, every alternate year with a sealer/preservative, protects it from ultraviolet solar radiation.
Vinyl provides you with maintenance-free sidings, though it lacks the appeal of wood. If the rest of your house has vinyl siding, you can use it for your small portable storage sheds also. Particleboard and plywood are also popular siding materials, though they rot when they are exposed to water.
Plan Before You Build
Before you build your own storage sheds, find out about the building codes, zoning ordinances and deed restrictions in your area. What materials are acceptable for siding, and how far the shed must be from the property lines, may be specified in the building codes and regulations.
The supports beneath the floor need to be made of pressure treated wood. You need to lay down concrete piers, cinder blocks, a concrete slab or crushed stone before you build your own storage sheds.
Building it yourself
You have the option of selecting a shed at a home improvement store and having it assembled by professionals. You can also buy a kit, which you can assemble yourself at a lower cost. An 8-foot by 10-foot shed with double doors is usually enough to meet your storage requirements.
Cheap Insurance Storage Sheds
You can extend your existing household insurance, to cover the new storage and its contents, at a very low additional cost.
Ryan Arsendatama is a creative writer of home and gardening with broad experience in the fields. Please also check out his useful articles in Shed Storage , Household Storage, and Mini Storage.
Everybody deals with anxieties and stresses in the business world. As a result, here is a list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their daily stresses and anxieties at their job and/or in the business world.
Sometimes, we get stressed when everything happens all at once. When this happens, a person should take a deep breathe and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could take a walk, listen to some music, read the newspaper or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.
When facing a current or upcoming task at your job or business that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, divide the task into a series of smaller steps and then complete each of the smaller tasks one at a time. Completing these smaller tasks will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.
Another technique that is very helpful is to have a small notebook of positive statements that make us feel good. Whenever you come across an affirmation that makes you feel good, write it down in a small notebook that you can carry around with you in your pocket. Whenever you take a break from your business task, open up your small notebook and read those statements.
In dealing with your anxieties at your job, learn to take it one day at a time. While the consequences of a particular fear may seem real, there are usually other factors that can not be anticipated and can affect the results of any situation. Get all of the facts of the situation and use them to your advantage.
As a Layman, I know that our anxieties and stresses can be difficult to manage at our place of work and in the business world. The more control you have over your stresses and anxieties, the better off you will be in the long run at your job and other business endeavors.
Stan Popovich is the author of “A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear” an easy to read book that presents a overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com
Are you a super multi-tasker?
You may even be proud of how many things you can do at once!
Unfortunately, there is a down side to all this “productivity”.
Studies are showing us that multi-tasking can have some very negative effects on us and mindfulness is a worthwhile habit to develop.
How much time do you spend not being mindful?
See if you recognize any of these statements from a questionnaire developed at the University of Rochester:
Top Ten Problems Resulting From Inadequate Sleep
1. High blood pressure
2. Negative mood
3. Decreased productivity
4. Drowsy driving
5. Depressed immune system
6. Poor memory
7. Slowed reaction time
8. Impaired concentration
9. Inability to tolerate others
10. Obesity
Tips For Getting A Better Night’s Sleep
At times when life seems to be getting us down or we’re going through a period of stress, loss or uncertainty, it’s important to take special care of ourselves! Make sure you look after yourself so that you’re ready to tackle life full on.
If you’ve recently experienced loss or are going through a time of high-stress or uncertainty, it’s important that you make a special effort to look after yourself. Here are a few things you can do to care for yourself physically, mentally and emotionally:
Take time out. If you can get away from your usual environment then do so. Go away for the weekend or even a day - do something different or something you enjoy and do it just for you.
Spend time with people you care about. Your friends and family know you best and will be supportive and there for you. It’s wonderful how you find true friends when the chips are down.
Treat yourself. Get pampered or whatever allows you to indulge yourself. Book a relaxing massage, get retail therapy, savour a glass of your favourite wine or spend a whole day reading a book.
Look after your body. At times of stress our eating habits change. We’re more likely to reach for packaged or convenience foods. Buy fresh fruit and vegetables and provide your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to be able to deal with the stress. Your immune system takes a bashing under stress so look after it as your more susceptible to illness.
Exercise. It’s a great way to get those endorphins going which can help lift your mood and as I mentioned in my newsletter - ’solvitas perambulum’ - solve it while you walk. The rhythm of exercise and breathing gives your mind time to think. As it’s summer go outdoors and take in some sunshine while you’re at it.
Don’t overdo the caffeine or alcohol. It might give you a temporary buzz but it will affect your sleep and you need to ensure you’re getting plenty of that too.
Write it down. Sometimes it can help to write down our thoughts and feelings on paper. It gets them out there and out of our head and when put into black and white it can take some of the emotion out or put them into perspective.
Do something positive. Don’t indulge yourself for too long but give yourself something to look forward to. Arrange to go to a concert, film, theatre, a weekend away. Keep yourself moving forward. Set yourself little tasks everyday.
Volunteer. There’s nothing more uplifting that doing something for someone else. Take yourself out of your head for a few hours and feel the benefit of helping others.
PMA - Positive Mental Attitude. What can you learn from this experience? Instead of focusing on the negative, what’s a positive outcome for your situation?
Relaxation - learn to relax. Whether it’s doing something like yoga, meditation or just simple breathing techniques - take a few minutes each day to quiet your mind. (Drop me an email if you’d like some ideas on relaxation techniques.)
Take Action. Yes, that ‘A’ word again. What one thing can you do to change where you’re at? Go and do it!
What’s your coping mechanism? How do you deal with stress? Learn to recognise and deal with stress before it builds up by looking after yourself on a regular basis not just when things get too much.
If you’d like to learn more or need support recognising and dealing with stress then contact me directly.
Clare Evans works with busy, stressed individuals and small business owners to help them plan and organise their time more effectively. Contact her now for more details and a free consultation. http://www.clareevans.co.uk
How can you expect your body to function at full tilt if you are feeding it inferior fuel?
If you are choosing refined carbohydrates and sugary soft drinks and candy, you are providing lots of calories and nothing in the way of good nutrition.
These go into your blood stream quickly, giving you that sugar high and the inevitable low that comes shortly thereafter.
When you eat complex carbohydrates such as whole grain breads and crackers and vegetables, your body gradually absorbs the energy and it is sustained over a period of time.
It is still imperative that you eat every three or four hours to keep a steady stream of fuel going into the brain.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Are They Really Beneficial?
If you would like to see some positive changes in many different parts of your body, try getting on a regime of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
There has been an abundance of research that shows an increase in energy upon waking when the level of omega-3 is sufficient.
Brain functioning is sharper and clearer.
Particularly in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, experts are recommending omega-3 to reduce the symptoms and pain associated with the condition.
These omega-3 fatty acids are a specific type of PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid).
You can find the oil in fatty fish such as salmon and sardines or in linoleic acid found in plant-derived sources, including tofu, nuts, and flaxseed oil.
You can purchase omega-3 fatty acids as capsules, but you need to make certain you are purchasing molecularly distilled or pharmaceutical grade fish oil to avoid any contaminants.
For more information about the research on these Omega-3s, check out Dr. Barry Sears’ book called the Anti-Inflammation Zone.
Water Works Wonders!
With our brains being over 90% water, we cannot afford to let ourselves become even a little dehydrated.
When you start to feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
Get in the habit of drinking liquids throughout the day even when you do not feel thirsty.
You’ll find yourself more energetic and thinking more clearly!
Exuberant Productivity Coach, Suzanne Holman, MAEd, works with people who want to make the most of every hour of the day, keeping their energy level high and exuberance for life.
Visit Suzanne Holman’s website, http://www.suzanneholman.com for a complimentary Exuberance E Course and Assessment.
Travelers to Jacksonville Florida have many options for lodging in the area. If you are traveling to Jacksonville on business or pleasure and need a place to stay, don’t overlook the Jacksonville Beach hotels. Located about a half hour from downtown Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach has more hotels than any of the other local beaches, and most of them are oceanfront - serving up our beautiful wide sandy beaches as your playground away from home. All of the Jax Beach hotels are within walking distance, or a short $5 cab drive from some of the best restaurants and nightlife Jacksonville has to offer.
From Beach Blvd. north to 16th Ave, 1st Street is the place to be for hotels, dining and dancing, shopping, and just hanging out in general. For the traveler, Jacksonville Beach hotels include such well knowns as Quality Suites, Best Western, the Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, and the Fairfield by Marriot. For the adventurous, a vanishing breed of mom and pop hotels still exist, for now, on the strip. Paradise Alley and the Surfside Inn offer somewhat cheaper lodging than the big boys, and also seem to have less of a corporate feel.
Join me as we review the Jacksonville Beach hotels one by one, and you’ll see the variety of lodging possibilities the Jacksonville hotel scene has to offer. Jax Beach: oceanfront lodging at it’s best!
With 143 rooms, the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort at Jax Beach is one of the larger hotels in the area. Recognizable by the huge whale and tropical sunset murals facing 1st Street, the Sunspree is a full service family resort, with the “Windows on the Ocean” restaurant offering oceanfront dining for breakfast and dinner. There is the “Marketessant” in the lobby that offers snacks and souvenirs, and the Reef Lounge is a favorite of locals to come in and shoot some pool. The large swimming pool is just in front of the lounge, and a few steps down and you’re on the beach! As a Sunspree resort, during the summer months there is an activities program for the kids. This Jacksonville Beach hotel landmark is at the top of our tour, located between 15th and 16th Avenues North.
Just behind the Holiday Inn, and owned by the same Shaner Hotel Group, is the Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites. Not being on the ocean, the Fairfield caters to the traveling business person. Equipped with high speed internet access in the rooms and lobby, there are also several Jacuzzi Suites available to help you relax after a hard days work. A swimming pool and hot tub outside, the Fairfield and Holiday Inn encourage their guests to share their amenities.
Next door is the Comfort Inn, best known for its huge faux rock waterfall swimming pool. Plenty of fun for the kids, the Comfort Inn Oceanfront also caters to adults, with the famous Kokomo’s lounge, for shooting pool and weekly Karaoke. Out of towners can really get to know the locals here. The Tiki Bar and deck, between Kokomo’s and the sand dunes, is a great place to hang out in the sun with your favorite cold beverage. Summer weekends commence with live local bands outside, accompanied by plenty of dancing beach goers on the deck.
Continuing south down 1st Street we come to a pink one story “motel” type building called Paradise Alley, on 8th Ave N. A mom & pop establishment, the Paradise is owned by a lady that refuses to sell out. The rooms are theme based, and are decorated with a nautical flair. Dinner and lunch is served on the outside deck on 1st Street, a popular hang out in the summer offering live music and over 100 domestic and imported beers. Paradise Alley’s southern neighbor used to be the popular watering hole First Street Grill, but will soon be another towering oceanfront condominium.
Another place that you can’t miss is the elegant Casa Marina. A great place to get married, the Casa is right behind the dunes at 6th Ave., and is the north end beginning of the boardwalk Old world charm, elegance, and romanticism sum up this Spanish looking castle like structure. Dining at the Casa includes an inside formal dining room, and an oceanfront courtyard and veranda, serving a “new beach cuisine” for lunch and dinner, and a killer Sunday Brunch (in season). The Casa’s newest addition is the Penthouse Lounge and Restaurant. Sitting on top of the north wing with an outdoors covered deck, the Penthouse has some excellent views of the Atlantic Ocean and the boardwalk, and is becoming a favorite happy hour destination. Even if you don’t stay at the Casa Marina, you gotta check it out!
If you want to be where the action is, the Best Western is smack dab in the middle of it. One of the smaller hotels in Jax Beach, its oceanfront rooms all have balconies right above the Boardwalk. A great ocean view and a great place for people watching! Being in the middle of the Strip, you can park your car inside their ground floor garage and walk to all the great restaurants, clubs, and shops that JB has to offer. High speed Internet access, an outdoor swimming pool, and whirlpool tub rooms are also available.
Located oceanfront on the southern end of the Seawalk Pavilion, the Quality Suites is the newest hotel in Jacksonville Beach. Their pool is on the south side nestled between the hotel and the lifeguard station (no drowning here), and across the street is the ever popular Sneakers Sports Bar. All of the 72 rooms are 2 room suites with oceanfront balconies, and some of them are whirlpool suites. High speed Internet and a business center make this upscale Jacksonville hotel a favorite of corporate travelers.
For business or pleasure, if you’re looking for some great Jacksonville hotels, Jacksonville Beach is the place to be. Conveniently located, Jacksonville Beach hotels will make your stay in Jacksonville fun and memorable. Find out why Jax Beach is oceanfront lodging at it’s best!
Jacksonville native Michael Talbert lives, works, and plays in Jax Beach. A web
developer by profession, visit Mike’s
hometown at http://JaxBeach-Pier.com
.
We’re constantly being overwhelmed by paperwork despite the fact that this is the electronic age and supposedly the need for paper disappeared with the introduction of the personal computer! Whether at home or work, in reality, we still like to read things in ‘hard copy’ so paper is never going to disappear.
Here are some ways to help you get the paperwork back under control:
The golden rule to dealing with paper is to do something with it the first time you touch it. I don’t quite hold with the ‘handle it only once’ statement, as that doesn’t really work in practice but trying to avoid shuffling it from one pile to another is definitely to be recommended.
First point - Go out and buy as many folder, trays, boxes and files as you need to organise your paperwork. You should have separate files or folders for action items, accounts, tax information, client information, invoices, reading etc.
When the post lands on your doormat or the paper comes into your office, decide what to do with it there and then. As you open the morning post, sort it into the appropriate folder/tray.
Action - pay a bill, make a call, make an appointment, fill in a form, sign a document etc. Deal with it immediately or as soon as possible.
If this needs further organisation, create additional files/folders/trays for bills, phone calls, clients and place the paper in the appropriate place. Then all you need to do is to go to this one place.
Read - magazines, reports etc. Put to one side to read later. Again, subdividing into files such as Urgent, Review, Business and Fun might help. Set aside time in your day/week to do the reading. Take a break at lunchtime to read through some paperwork or magazine.
Carry some reading material with you for those quiet moments when you’re sitting waiting. Don’t let things build up - if something’s remained in your unread pile for a period of time, chuck it out. Cancel any magazines that you don’t have time to read anymore.
File - statements, receipts, articles etc. Place them to one side in a tray for filing later. Receipts and accounts information should be filed separately so they can be easily dealt with when you’re working on your accounts. This is not something that needs to be dealt with immediately and it’s the one area that tends to build up and doesn’t get the intention it should, so don’t let it build up. Clear your filing tray on a weekly basis or perhaps at the end of each day.
Bin - junk mail, flyers etc. This can get thrown out as soon as you receive it. Recycle any paper you can, rather than just chuck it in the bin.
Of course your first task each day is ‘planning’. Schedule the time you need during the day for all your tasks - clear your ‘Action’ folder and make it a habit to clear this by the end of each day. When are you going to go through your ‘Reading’ file and when do you do your filing?
Tackling a BIG Filing Pile!
If you have a large pile of filing or several piles taking up space on your desk or in your office, set aside a couple of hours in your diary NOW and book in a time to tackle it. This is a useful task to do at the end of the day or if you need to clear a backlog, perhaps at a weekend or even one evening (OK, this should be an exception, I want to reduce your hours not extend them!).
Clear a large space to work in - the kitchen table or the living room floor. Go through it and sort each piece of paper as you go into appropriate folders, files or ’sub-piles’.
- Bin anything you no longer need.
- Action anything that’s lurking!
- Put to one side anything that needs to be read.
Depending on how old this pile is (!) you might want to ask yourself, if I haven’t read it by now, how relevant is it? … Bin it!
You may end up surrounded by several piles of bank statements, credit cards statements, client info, paid invoices etc. but at least now you can pick them up in one group and file them all away together.
It’s immensely satisfying to reduce a large pile of paperwork that’s been glaring at you, into a larger pile that ends up in the bin and a smaller pile that you now need to do something with i.e. file!
A couple of hours should be all that’s needed, even for a large pile and if you can’t file it all away in one hit, do what you can in the time you’ve got, then make an effort to clear a little bit each day or even 2-3 times throughout the day and you’ll be amazed how quickly it will soon be gone!
Reduce the incoming flood.
Get as much paperwork as you can electronically. Most bank statements and utility bills are now available online and can be stored electronically or printed off - but only if you need them.
Cancel subscriptions to any newspapers or magazines that you no longer need.
Read magazines and newspapers online or go to your local library. Most publications with a website will publish their most recent articles online. Newspaper sites have searchable archives.
Subscribe to the Mailing Preference Service to avoid unnecessary junk mail coming through your door. I significantly reduced the amount of junk mail I received once I’d signed up.
Always tick the box on any forms to stop promotional mail, offers or your address being sent to 3rd parties.
You can recycle old newspapers and magazines by either taking them to your local recycling point to local schools, hospitals, surgeries etc.
How could you streamline your office to reduce what comes in and how much you have to handle in the first place?
Take some time to think about all the paperwork that you have to deal with on a daily basis and come up with a solution to ensure that piece of paper ends up where it should first time round.
If you’d like to find out more about how you could put some systems and strategies in place to enable you to be more organised, then call or email me for a free consultation.
Copyright 2006: Clare Evans
Clare Evans works with busy, stressed individuals and small business owners to help them plan and organise their time more effectively. Contact her now for more details, newsletter or a consultation. http://www.clareevans.co.uk
Well done! You’ve passed the exams, received the certificate, taken out your insurance and you’re ready to open the doors in your new complementary therapy business. You are your own boss, possibly for the first time - and here’s where the learning starts all over again.
There are two common traps that newly qualified practitioners fall into - the first is neglecting the rest of your life. Family, your own health, finances, relaxation and leisure are the main ones, but other areas include personal development and contribution to society in general. And you will probably have your own specifics.
Coaching can help you through this transition period. A coach will work with you to define your own “Wheel of Life” and ensure that it’s in balance. You know what happens when your car (or cycle!) wheels are out of balance - you get a rough ride. It’s even rougher when your Wheel of Life is out of balance.
The second common trap is that, being passionate about your therapy, sometimes it’s easy to focus solely on the therapeutic skills you have learned, forgetting the business side of self-employment. If you are a sole-trader, this is even more likely.
An objective outsider, experienced in setting up a micro-business in the complementary therapy field will understand the problems you face and how others have overcome them. Typical challenges are:
* You are highly qualified in your therapy and love what you do, but didn’t expect it would be this hard to run your own business - beset by problems such as:
* Cash flow
* Lack of funding
* Lack of clients
* You don’t understand how to build or run a business
* Lacking solid procedures for making business decisions
* Difficulty in setting realistic goals and meeting them
* Do you prefer working alone or in a small team with other therapists?
* You have no natural aptitude or interest in marketing or sales and feel uncomfortable with the sales role
* You may even feel uncomfortable talking about fees to clients
* Need to expand your comfort zone
* How to keep focused on one main thing, without getting side-tracked by your many ideas
* Nervous about leaving the security of a full-time job
* Coming from a background of employment where you had lots of resources at your finger-tip (e.g. access to IT technical support) you may sub-consciously expect the same in their small business
* Time-management problems - What to “do”, “dump” or “delegate”
* Need to quickly recoup the costs of your training
* Starting in business after the camaraderie of college, you may feel isolated - fellow students have suddenly become competitors for your clients!
A coach can help you, not only in the above business areas, but also in the rest of your Wheel of Life. Complementary therapists are often sole-traders, new to running their own business. Caught up in the excitement of a new qualification it’s easy to lose sight of other areas of life that need nurturing. It’s typical for all small business proprietors to need help working on areas outside the business e.g.
* Lack of time and feeling overwhelmed with the number of jobs you have to do
* Work-life balance - there IS a life outside your business
How does coaching differ from mentoring? A mentor will generally guide someone and support them in a specific task, or in this case therapy. This is a very valuable service, but coaching can offer a more holistic approach.
A mentor knows the answers to specific problems, whereas a coach works with you to help you discover the questions AND their answers, not just in your business, but in the rest of your life.
Effective coaching doesn’t require that the coach has specific experience of a client’s occupation - often the very absence of this adds to the effectiveness of the coaching procedure, as the coach will stand apart and “see the wood from the trees”.
However, although a coach will take a holistic approach to working with you, it can be beneficial if the coach comes from a similar background to yourself, as they will more readily understand your problems.
With a background in nutritional therapy I originally studied coaching as an add-on, to support and motivate weight loss clients. My training required me to work with a wide variety of clients and I found that I particularly enjoyed working with recently qualified practitioners, as they were setting up their businesses. This is now a focal point in my client development programme.
Joy Healey is a qualified life-coach, conducting telephone or face-to-face sessions. To learn more about coaching visit her website for a free monthly newsletter to help you in various areas of your life.